ST. LOUIS – Jordan Binnington stood tall to lead the St. Louis Blues to a come-from-behind win in the season opener, stopping 28 of 30 shots in a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken.
Binnington begins the new season within striking distance of the St. Louis Blues’ all-time wins record among goaltenders. He needs just seven this year to claim it alone.
Mike Liut currently holds the franchise record with 151 wins as a Blues goaltender. Binnington’s predecessor, Jake Allen, ranks second with 148 victories. Binnington is well on his way to pass both this season, earning his 146th win in Tuesday’s season opener.
If healthy and playing close to career norms, Binnington will likely set the record in November.
“Binner was outstanding early on when we weren’t at our best,” said Blues head coach Drew Bannister to media members after Tuesday’s season opener. “We saw that a lot last year. We had to rely on him early to keep the game close. The guys rallied for him, and we found a way to win for him.”
This is Binnington’s fifth consecutive season as the Blues’ primary goaltender. To date, he is the only netminder to win a Stanley Cup title-clinching game in Blues history. That followed an impressive rookie season in the 2018-19 campaign during which the Blues worked their way from last place in January to Cup champions.
Binnington also holds the Blues’ all-time playoff wins record (20), most of those which he attained in St. Louis’ Stanley Cup season. These victories, however, do not count toward the Blues all-time regular season record that he is currently chasing.
What else to watch for this season
Binnington’s pursuit of a Blues record will certainly be much anticipated this season. Here are five other things to follow with the new season…
1) Binnington-Hofer goalie tandem
Now 31 years old, Binnington has averaged around 58 starts over the last two seasons, or around 70% of St. Louis’ game. It’s a testament to his durability, though the Blues will also want to make sure he’s fresh if they have any chance of snapping a two-year playoff drought come springtime.
Joel Hofer proved capable last season of starting consecutive games and against stronger opponents when opportunity called. It wouldn’t be surprising if he plays closer to around one out of three games or two out of every five, which would reduce Binnington’s workload to somewhere between 60-66% of games, still above league average.
Binnington will also aim to stay fresh for the NHL’s inaugural 2024 “4 Nations Faceoff,” a midseason tournament in lieu of the All-Star Game. If healthy, he has a strong chance of being a starting goaltender or reserve for Team Canada.
2) Growth of two young stars
Much of the Blues success offensively will run through Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas this year. The two accounted for nearly one-quarter of the Blues’ total scoring points last year while tasked this with taking on larger responsibilities defensively. Thomas envisions more growth, not only for himself, but the team as a whole.
“I think I got another whole level to get to,” said Thomas in a preseason interview with FOX 2, coming off a career-best 86 point season. “Last year was a good step forward.” He expressed that the Blues want to be one of the top teams in the Central.
Kyrou enjoyed a strong start in the season opener with a pair of goals, including the game-winner, over 17 minutes of ice time. Thomas dished on assist on Tuesday.
3) A new-look lineup
Six skaters made their St. Louis Blues debut in Tuesday’s season opener: Forwards Radek Faksa, Dylan Holloway, Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier, and defensemen Philip Broberg and Ryan Suter.
Holloway and Broberg come with a bit of a chip on their shoulder after their previous team, the Edmonton Oilers, did not match offer sheets to retain them after coming just one win away from the Stanley Cup. “Didn’t know what to expect, but excited to be a Blue and excited to help this team any way I can,” said Broberg in a preseason interview with FOX 2.
Mathieu Joseph may also have an opportunity to play in an NHL game with his brother, defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph, later this season. “We’re competing, no matter what is, whether on the ice or back home in ping pong. We compete in every sphere of life. It’s good to see him on the ice.” said Mathieu in a preseason interview with FOX 2.
4) Special teams
The St. Louis Blues finished in the bottom half of the league among penalty killing (79.1%) and just outside the bottom quarter of teams in power play percentage (18%) last season. While St. Louis showed various strides in both departments last year after a coaching change, those rates most likely won’t cut it for playoff aspirations.
Their preseason rates, 12.5% on the power play and 72% on the penalty kill, leave a lot left to be desired. Though those game didn’t always include regulars for a full 60 minutes. The new additions, especially Mathieu Joseph and Radek Faksa, could be critical penalty killers. Thomas, Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich should continue to control the power play.
Newcomer Philip Broberg potted a powerplay goal in the season opener, while the Blues stayed disciplined defensively, only needing to kill one penalty.
5) Bannister’s first full year
Drew Bannister’s first full year as Blues head coach is underway. When taking over for fan-favorite Craig Berube last season, he preached accountability and compete throughout the season. This year’s challenge: To maintain that consistency and build on last year’s foundation while teams begin to adjust to the Blues style of play under his watch.
Executives who previously worked with Bannister have praised his work ethic, along with his ability to set expectations and help players build upon their strengths, detailed more in a preseason feature from The Athletic’s Blues reporter Jeremy Rutherford.
“He’s came in with a mindset to be aggressive, use our speed and really be hard on teams. That’s our identity and that’s what we really want to get to this year,” said Thomas to FOX 2.
The Blues went 30-19-5 under Bannister’s first run last year, which would have paced to around 98 points last season and possibly within territory of a playoff bid.
Up Next
The St. Louis Blues (1-0-0, 2 points) will play road games on back-to-back nights against the San Jose Shark and Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and Friday. The home opener is set for 6:30 p.m. CT next Tuesday, Oct. 15 against the Minnesota Wild.
Blues – Sound On
Attached below are FOX 2’s one-on-one preseason interviews with Robert Thomas, Philip Broberg and Mathieu Joseph.
